


Bearing Witness

by Topaz_Eyes



Category: X Company
Genre: Community: dailyprompt, Episode Tag, Episode: s3e10 Remembrance, Flash Fic, Gen, Introspection, Post-Series, Prompt Fic, Prompt Fill, World War II
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-10-06
Updated: 2017-10-06
Packaged: 2019-01-09 21:43:00
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 250
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12284937
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Topaz_Eyes/pseuds/Topaz_Eyes
Summary: Doing nothing was the hardest part of the job.





	Bearing Witness

**Author's Note:**

> Written for the July 23, 2017 prompt in [](https://dailyprompt.dreamwidth.org/profile)[dailyprompt](https://dailyprompt.dreamwidth.org/), “bearing witness.” Spoilers for the whole series.

Colonel Sinclair had not minced words at their orientation. “You will see horrible things, depraved things, happen to innocent people all around you,” he’d said, pinning each member of the group with his steely blue gaze. “You’ll want to intervene so badly you will taste it. Words will form on your lips and tears in your eyes. Your heart will pound and your feet will start to run to provide assistance.

“But you will stand down. You will say nothing. You will do nothing except turn around and walk away at the earliest possible moment. Because calling attention to yourself will only get you killed. No matter how you feel, no matter who’s suffering, a child or your best friend. No matter how desperately you want to help, your purpose in this war is larger than what is unfolding in front of you.”

The others in the group that day – Tom and Harry – had looked away. Neil had stared right back. He knew exactly what Sinclair meant.

Or he thought he had.

Now, winging his way back home, to England, to Mags, Neil glances at the two empty seats beside him where Tom and Harry should be. He sighs – and then he realizes, all those times when he couldn’t act, couldn’t save; all those times he was forced to stand by helpless as the carnage revolved around him and their lives slipped from his hands, he wasn’t doing nothing. He was, perhaps, doing something more important.

He was bearing witness.


End file.
